


A Friend Of Mine

by Hudstrige1



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mickey’s not as fresh as he is in the show, he’s not too intimidating, middle school gays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2018-11-28
Packaged: 2019-09-01 20:47:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16772644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hudstrige1/pseuds/Hudstrige1
Summary: Ian needs someone to stand up to his bully for him. He’d do it himself, but, Mickey Milkovich sounds like the much better option.





	A Friend Of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this whole thing over the span of like 10 mins and knew I had to get it out. I hope you enjoy the first part :)

Usually, it's the new kid who gets bullied by the students, but leave it to Dustin Gram over here to be the new kid at Hill Ridge Middle giving everyone shit left and right, mainly including Ian Gallagher, the kid who never even bothered to look in his direction.

Yet here Dustin is still giving him bullshit because, who else is he going to pick on, right?

Considering no one's gone so out of their way to make his life at school difficult, this is quite an inconvenience for him, and has been for the last two weeks.

"You get taken care of yet, Gallagher?"

"I'm just trying to get to class..."

"Oh yeah. Let me help you with that." Dustin responds by knocking the binder and stack of textbooks out of Ian’s hands and onto the floor, the kids around them just scoffing and rolling their eyes at them.

The routine has gotten old real quick.

" _Dustin_ ," Ian's just trying to handle this in a civil manner.

"No shut the fuck _up,_ Gallagher." Dustin shoves him against the wall just a few inches behind him, his weight knocking down the loosely attached bulletin board onto the floor behind him.

Those that surround them mutter and giggle.

"Just go a _way_ Dustin, and stop trying to harass my _friend_ every day." Janice, a close friend of Ian’s emerges from the crowd, scowling at him from down the hall.

"Yeah." She’s joined by their other friend Rachel, who’s followed by Brandon, making up the majority of Ian's closest friends.

Staring them down, Dustin merely scoffs and shakes his head. "Fuckin' faggots."

He looks back to Ian. " _You_ especially."

That's when he knocks him over to the ground, right next to the very pile of books.

He spits in his hair on his way in the opposite direction, shoving Brandon and giving dirty looks to girls before officially making his departure.

" _Yeah, guys,_ thanks for the help." Still stranded on the floor, Ian glares to everyone that sluggishly stands around him and minds their business.

They go back to chatting over one another and walking around like nothing had ever happened.

"Thanks..." Ian takes Brandon's hand that's been offered, after he, Rachel and Janice had made their way over to him.

"Where'd that guy even _come from,_ anyway?" Brandon asks as Ian picks up his things.

"No idea. But I like to think that if I just pretend he isn't there then he'll stop messing with me."

"But he _won't..."_ Rachel says.

"Well what do want me to _do,_ stand _up_ for myself?" Ian scoffs. "If I do that I'm pretty sure I won't even survive two seconds. Help me put that thing back up." His books are set down in an orderly fashion, Janice stepping over and helping him arrange the bulletin board back in place.

"He's _not_ gonna stop until some action is taken." Brandon points out.

"Like telling an adult...?" Rachel asks.

" _Or_ you can just get some tougher badder kid to beat him up." Janice suggests, walking with Ian back over to them.

"What 'tougher badder kid' do we _know?"_ Ian asks.

It takes them a few seconds to remember the name.

After last period, the four of them make their way down the middle of the same hallway, and there stands buffer, taller, tougher and badder kid Mickey Milkovich rummaging through his locker, Mickey Milkovich, who's never needed to bully anyone to show to show his dominance over the student body. As much as he keeps to himself, everyone knows he isn't one to be bothered with.

After many rushed and heated whispers that are exchanged back and fourth between the four friends about who's going to say something, Brandon is shoved forward by the rest of them, now timidly standing five feet away and waiting for Mickey to take notice.

" _What..."_ He cringes at them all.

"Uhhhh..."

If Brandon knew he was going to be the one speaking to him he would have at least thought this through.

"Ian needs your help." He scurries out, pointing a finger to the red head who just might blush himself into comatose.

"What, with school?" Mickey starts chuckling. "'Cause you came to the wrong guy for that." From his locker he takes out his pack of peppermint gums and and unwraps a piece.

"No, uh, there's this kid,"

Ian wants to give himself credit just for building up the courage to say something to him.

"Mm," Mickey's currently occupied with chewing the piece around in his mouth.

"That fucker _Dustin?_ " It's not a very hard guess. "What about him."

"Well, he's kind of an asshole." Rachel speaks.

"No shit. And?"

" _So_ , he's kind of been giving Ian a hard time and we were hoping you could help with that..." Janice explains.

"What, like be his body guard?"

" _No,_ uh."

By the scowl on Mickey's face Ian can tell he didn't take that well.

"Just...Threaten him a bit, ya know? _Maybe?"_

" _Don't_ you have an older brother who can help you with this?" Mickey doesn't see how he's the only option.

"He's in high school. I don't wanna bother him with it."

"Oh so you'll bother _me_ with it?"

"That a no...?" Ian's ready to walk away with a bowed head and slumped shoulders

"How much you got."

" _Ian."_ Janice frowns at him, Brandon and Rachel both giving him odd stares.

"Do you want him to get his ass kicked or not??" Mickey protests.

" _Yeah Janice_ do you want me to get my ass kicked or not??" Ian backs him up, stepping over next to him and giving her a bitchy look.

She exhales.

"I have forty dollars." Ian faces Mick.

"That's more than enough. _What?_ " Mickey notices the rest of them gawking.

"You're _really_ gonna make him pay you." Rachel asks.

"Oh re _lax_. I'll give it back if things don't go well."

" _What?_ What do you _mean_ if things don't go well?!" Ian panics.

"I'm playing. Things'll be _fine._ After I get him off your back, I want that money."

"Okay..."

Janice and Rachel are rolling their eyes.

"Um, thanks..." Ian doesn't see anything wrong with showing his appreciation.

"Yeah yeah. If I catch him outside I'll call him out." Taking out the packet of gum, he shuts closed his locker door.

"You're not gonna like, cause a scene, are you...?" Brandon questions.

"If _anyone's_ gonna be causing a scene, it'll be him. Him and his temperamental ass." Mickey responds.

The rest shrug. It's true. Yeah, Mickey's irritable and impatient but at least he's still _mellow_. _Dustin's_ the one to scream at the drop of a hat.

"Yeah, well, we're gonna go. _Right_ , Ian?" Rachel's ready to go, unlike Ian who's mindlessly standing there waiting for more to happen.

"Yeah. Sure. Right." He glances at her. "Um...Thanks again. I'll have the money tomorrow." He looks at Mick.

"Here." He hands them each a piece of gum.

"Thanks..." Janice is still skeptical, just like the rest of them.

"Later." Mickey takes off, leaving the friends to watch him until he's gone.

"I'm _not_ chewing this..." Rachel stares down at the gum she was given.

Brandon unwraps it, popping it in his mouth and shrugging lightly after a few chews.

“Hm.”

"What are you _expecting,_ to puff up into a blueberry like from that movie?" Rachel teases her, getting a scoff in response.

"I'm gonna go. My sister's waiting for me." Ian excuses himself, giving a quick side hug to each of them.

"But what if Dustin sees you and starts something?" Brandon asks.

"Then he'll follow me to Fiona and she'll flirt with him until he knocks it off or something." He predicts. At least he hopes that's what would happen. If _anything_ Fiona will probably be making a call to principle, which Ian does _not need_ happening. Not when Mickey's going to stick by him, right?

He can only hope.

Just before Ian exits out front, he might as well chew on that gum Mick gave him.

He makes it off the property without one sighting of Dustin, which right now, is honestly all he can ask for.

Maybe Mickey already took care of it.

Turns out he didn't, which is exactly why he comes joining his side back at school in the usual hallway that very next morning.

"Hey Ian."

Ian's surprised he remembered his name.

"Hey. You talk to him yet?"

"No, so that's why I'm just gonna walk with you in the halls and send him off if he shows up."

"What? Alright. But, he's in my art class. You're not." Ian keeps on looking for concerns.

"When's that?"

"After lunch."

"He'll be taken care of my then."

He scoffs at Ian's worried stares. "Relax. I'm not gonna kill him or nothing. You _really_ think I'm capable of something like that?"

"I dunno maybe..." Ian still doesn't completely trust him.

His laughter is a good sign. Ian's smile is hesitant but meaningful.

"So should I like, walk you to class or something?"

"Okay...I have math first period."

"Gross, let's go." Mickey gets a head start in the wrong direction.

"Classroom's this way."

"Right." Mickey spins around and walks ahead of him.

Ian giggles at his presence before following along.

"So like, what does he do to you..." Mickey asks.

"Well, for starters he always knocks my books on the floor."

"Psh. Amateur. Gimme those." Mickey gladly takes them from him.

"Isn't he just gonna knock them from you?" Ian asks.

"If he does I'll smack him with 'em."

He appreciates the fact that Ian considers something he says as funny.

Based on their luck, Dustin just happens to be heading in their direction, and wastes no time criticizing the fact that they're by each other's side.

"You're carrying his books, what _are you,_ a couple now?" He observes them.

"What are _you_ , jealous?" Mickey snaps back, Ian having to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.

"What are _you_ laughing at, freak." Dustin scowls at him.

“ _You.”_ Mickey answers for him. “Why do you take everything so seriously? I mean come on-chew some gum or something-“

Mickey’s interrupted by Dustin’s shove to the ground.

“Hmm, I bet you enjoyed that, didn’t you?” He smirks to him, Ian’s books staying kept right in place.

Ian looks down at him and smiles, whereas Dustin’s at a loss, dazing at them and frowning at the dead end he’s found himself stranded at.

“Faggots.” Is all he can say, flipping them off with both middle fingers and stomping past them.

When he can no longer hear them, Ian looks to Mickey and scoffs. “I thought you were gonna kick his ass.”

“Are you _kidding?_ If I kick _his_ ass then my Dad’s gonna kick _my_ ass.”

Ian continues scoffing, now teasingly shaking his head and offering him a hand.

Mickey doesn’t see why not, and as they continue their way forward, Ian’s friends almost can’t believe what they’re seeing, standing aligned against the right row of lockers in partial shock.

“So it’s legit, huh?” Brandon asks the girls.

“It’s probably ‘cause he already paid him.” Janice figures, Rachel shaking her head in justifiable suspicion.

“Eh. I’m _still_ not chewing his gum.”

“I dunno. After I had that piece, Nicole started talking to me and when I got home it was a pretty good rest of the day.”

They shut him down with their stares.

What Ian’s seeming to already find out that it’s not that gum of Mickey’s that’s good luck, but rather Mickey himself.

That is as good as luck for him can get.

This still is human nature, after all.

After class, Mickey shows up next to Ian in no time.

“What’s up.”

“Hey...” Ian’s happy to see him again.

“Where’re your books?”

“In there.” Ian points to the locker behind him, snickering at Mickey’s quiet scoff.

“Where’re yours? Maybe _I_ can carry them for _you,_ since, ya know.” Ian plays around.

Mickey chortles. “We’ll see.” He begins looking around in thought about what he came here to bring up.

“So Dustin went home.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Overhead kids in class talking about how he went to the nurse or something and hasn’t been here since.”

“You think it’s true?”

“I _hope_ so.”

They chuckle.

“We hate the same people. I like that.” Mickey tells him.

“Who _else_ you hate?” Ian smiles.

“Hm, let’s see. Gamblers. People like Dustin. Politicians.”

Again, hearing Ian laugh is a pretty nice thing.

“I see.”

“So if Dustin really still isn’t here then I guess you don’t need me around for the rest of the day?” Mickey tries not to care.

“You can sit with us at lunch if you want,” Ian offers.

“Oh. Okay.” Mickey doesn’t want Ian’s friends to keep thinking of him as some sort of asshole. Maybe he should offer them more gum.

Speaking of that:

“Um...I really liked that gum you gave me—yesterday.” Ian couldn’t really think of anything else to say. Perhaps staying silent would have been the better option.

But Mickey chuckles. “Yeah, me too. It’s peppermint.” He smiles, that peculiar line of Ian’s playing over in his head and filling him with joy. “Oh.” Ian realizes as he finishes laughing. “That money. I have it with me-“

“Eh, don’t worry about it. Not unless I get beat up for you, or something.”

Ian grins. “ _Would_ you?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Mickey says this and laughs along.

“Sooo, you walked _me_ to class, let’s say I walk _you_ to class this time?” Ian asks, and Mickey overfills with contentment.

“I’ll lead the way.”

“Yeah, I was sorta hoping you would.” Ian humors, and Mickey playfully pushes him as they begin their walk.

If he’s going to spend time with Ian, he might as well be enjoying himself.

Something he doesn’t think he’s ever done, at least not in a way such as this.

If he knew he was going to enjoy Ian’s company _this_ much, he would have became his friend a long time ago.

**Author's Note:**

> Every comment counts <3 tell me if you’d like more


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